Ed Sheeran releases limited edition guitars for charity

Ed Sheeran has designed a limited edition guitar range to help raise funds for a children's hospice in his home county.

The A Team hitmaker has teamed with bosses at acoustic guitar manufacturer C.F. Martin + Company to produce the LX1E Ed Sheeran Signature Edition instruments, which will be embossed with the East Anglia Children's Hospices (EACH) logo and a plus symbol in reference to the singer's debut album.

The cause is close to Sheeran's heart as he grew up in Suffolk, England, where EACH runs one of three hospices.

Sheeran says, "I have been a fan of (the guitar brand) since I started playing guitar and I am honoured to have a signature edition that bears my own personal imprint. All of the royalties from every purchase will go to EACH and I can't wait to get on stage and perform with it."

Vanessa Bell, Suffolk fundraiser for EACH, adds, "We're thrilled Ed has chosen EACH to benefit from the sales of the guitar - it's a great way to raise funds and promote our work to a really wide audience. It's really touching to think EACH is at the forefront of Ed's mind and shows just how grounded he is."

The guitar line will be unveiled to the music industry by C.F. Martin & Company representatives at the Summer NAMM trade exhibition in Nashville, Tennessee on Thursday (11Jul13).